


safe and sound

by buntime



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Other, friendship!, idk how to tag bruh, right after stonehenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-07 21:18:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4278273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buntime/pseuds/buntime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff and Tony go home after a traumatic experience.</p>
            </blockquote>





	safe and sound

Jeff’s face looks a little… haunted? There’s probably a better word for it, but you can’t recall at this moment in time. He looks as though he’s seen a ghost. But not just one, probably thousands, and like he’s gotten used to that sort of thing. He looks weary of life, but in such a way that he knows he has to keep pressing forward even though he doesn’t want to. It shows in his eyes that he’s wanted to come home for a very long time, but not like this. For you, the nightmare is over. For him, there are many more nightmares to be had. You can tell that he’s happy to see you again, but that happiness is drowned out by fear of having almost lost you. You were scared too. Still are. But you’re trying to focus on Jeff now. Right now he needs you to be brave for once, and the only way you can think to cope is to think about how much worse he has it at this moment.

He hasn’t let go of your hand since he rescued you and the others. Gun in one hand, yours in the other, he’s trembling but he keeps moving because he knows he has to. He leads you through the maze of the starmen, and to the outside world that you thought you’d never see again. Luckily the starmen were all gone from this place. Jeff nods towards his new friend in the red baseball cap and their group heads to the legendary Dr. Andonut’s lab. Then it’s just you and him. He gives your hand a good squeeze and you wish he’d lay off for just a moment so you could put your gloves on. But to be honest, you’re just as afraid as he is, and if one of you lets go for even a second, you could be separated again.

Jeff lets out a heavy sigh, “I’ll walk you home,” he says.

In truth, you don’t know what you would do if he didn’t. You’ve never been this far away from school on your own, and you’re not sure how to get back from here.

You wish he could stay with you a little longer than just the walk home, but you know he’s busy saving the world, and while you want to, you can’t fault him for that. He leads you through the cave, not letting go of your hand to fight the crocodiles and bats. It didn’t seem to phase him at all. He didn’t even blink when he shot them. He must be so used to this now, it saddened you to think about what he must go through every day. How many wild animals he must have “tamed.” How many have tried to hurt him? How many actually have? You steal a glance at Jeff’s face. He looked as though he were staring off into the distance, like he wasn’t focused at all and that he didn’t want to be. Maybe it made all of this bearable not to be.

Across the lake, the road back to Snow Wood was paved with scary aliens. It was enough to make you forget about the cold, you were trembling too much to care anymore. If Jeff was afraid, he didn’t show it. For a moment, you wondered if he was even your Jeff anymore. Who was this stranger anyway? Jeff was never good at showing emotion, but you could at least see a bit of life in his face. This Jeff’s eyes have grown dull and he was much taller than you remember him being.

And then you reached the Snow Wood gates, which you knew would be locked. Especially with all the monsters and aliens hanging around so nearby. Jeff knew it too and knelt down.

“Climb over me to jump the gate,” he commanded.

You almost laughed at how familiar this scene was, and did as he told you. Safely on the other side of the gate, you turn to Jeff, who was now clinging to the bars, finally looking like himself again. Sad, afraid, and worried.

“Are you going to be okay?” he asked, “By yourself, I mean.”

_B-by myself?_ Suddenly it hit you hard that, yes, of course you were going to be by yourself. You knew it from the beginning, Jeff wouldn’t be able to stay, he has to go finish saving the world.

As if your silence spoke for itself, Jeff began to climb the gate. He must’ve gotten so much stronger since he’s been gone. “I can stay with you,” he says, “a-at least for tonight.”

You offered a hard nod, and were you tearing up? Jeff took your hand again and walked you inside. You’d been without him for so long, but you never forgot how awkward he is. The two of you found your dorm and were getting ready to settle into your separate beds when Jeff’s voice cracked a little.

He cleared his throat, “Could– could you lay with me tonight? I need you to be close to me.” The fear in his voice was audible, but you didn’t care because you were afraid too. If you were with Jeff, the starmen wouldn’t be able to get you again. And he knew it, too. He was just as terrified as you were. You nod your head yes again and the two of you climb into your bed, holding hands and trembling until you fall asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> idk man i wrote this like a year ago and just found it and was like, "bruh"


End file.
